Going, Going, Gone
by Kako Koritsi
Summary: Blue and red makes purple.


Part Three of _All The Little Moments That We Make. _

**Prompt: Percy Jackson & Harry Potter crossover, Harry/Percy pairing. **(requested by Another-Fangirl-On-The-Premise)

Notes: It's been years since I've read the HP series, so I gave up along the way on trying to make it completely canon compliant. The yaoi is in there if you squint :)

* * *

><p>There were shadows in the lake that he could barely see, black silhouettes on musty water that shook and shattered in the moon's faint light. Harry narrowed his eyes, staring down over the side of the boat, trying to see something deeper within its depths.<p>

He didn't notice he was falling until he was in, sinking and sinking, arms struggling to break the surface and yet not moving an inch. He breathed in, and it was a breath full of water and regret, and then he was gone.

He surged up from his bed, covers wrapping around his legs and sweat coating his face. Harry's vision was a blurry mess, green eyes blinking rapidly but seeing nothing, trying to adjust to the darkness of reality. He breathed in again and this time it was air, tasting sweet on his tongue and parching his lips, and he finally allowed himself to calm down.

Harry waited until his heart stopped beating ruthlessly against his chest, hands coming up to his face and rubbing roughly at his eyelids. His fingers brushed against the indent of his scar, just a slight pressure that lasted for a second, but he shivered.

The boy could hear the snores from his fellow roommates, soft little noises that would render the place silent in their absence. He slowly sank back into the bed, wrapping himself in the covers instead of knocking them off, burying his head in his pillow. Sleep overcame him surprisingly quickly, but he knew he would still be tired when morning came.

* * *

><p>The dinning hall was covered in a thick buzz of chatter and excitement as it was each morning, full of bustling children and happiness that filled to the brim and spilled over the top. Harry watched as his friends dug into their meals, pushing his own food around uneasily on his plate with a frown.<p>

Hermione gave him a sharp look. "You alright, Harry?"

He blinked, offering a small smile. "Yeah," he answered, putting his fork down. "Just tired is all."

Ron, with his ginger hair arranged atop his head like a bright orange halo, looked concerned. "Is it the nightmares?"

"Yeah."

"The same ones?" Hermione asked her friend, adopting Ron's worry. "With the lake?"

He nodded his head, looking down at the table to signal his want to discontinue the conversation. It was probably a bad idea to tell his friends about the reoccurring dreams he had been having for the past week, but he had needed to get it off his chest. Regret tasted liked saltwater.

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows. "Harry, this might be more important that you think," she said. "We are wizards, after all. It's not unheard of for dreams to have prophetic properties. Maybe you should go see Dumbledore and-"

Somebody nudged into his shoulder, making Hermione pause. "Oh, sorry," they apologized, but Harry only took that as a cue to escape. He stood from his chair, paying the stranger no mind, and bid a hasty farewell to his friends before they could catch up.

* * *

><p>"I swear, Snape's trying to kill us," Ron groaned, spread across the reading chair with his school books arranged across the floor. Harry sat on the carpet, flipping through the pages, while Hermione simply watched them with an amused expression on her face.<p>

"Of course he is," Harry murmured. It wasn't like this was the first time that they had received extra work for messing up a potion. This time, he supposed it was called for- it had meant to be an invisibility potion, after all, not a bomb- but it wasn't entirely his fault.

He opened his mouth to speak but Ron beat him to it. "And I bet you already have it all finished," he accused, scowling at Hermione, who only shrugged. The ginger puffed out a breath of frustration, glancing at his other friend. "Why'd you have to get the ingredients wrong just as he was coming through?"

"It wasn't on purpose!" He said. "I just... saw something." He narrowed his eyes, closing the book with a loud thud. "Who's the new bloke?"

Ron straightened up, putting his arms behind his head. "What new bloke? There's been plenty of first years that came in this time, if you mean them."

"No, I don't," he replied. "I mean the one in Snape's class. The Slytherin." When all he received was blank looks, he continued. "He was in our class today. Teamed up with Malfoy?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "You can't expect me to pay attention to that jerk," he said. "Besides, who cares? Just another snob for their House."

"Yeah," Harry muttered, looking down at his hands. "Guess so." There was something weird about the guy, how he had stared at Harry the whole class. His blue eyes had been so distracting, never leaving his face, that Harry had managed to mix up the ingredients.

Great.

"You okay?" Hermione asked, voice gentle and hesitant. He glanced up at her, nodding quickly.

"Fine," the teen answered. "I guess I could just use some more sleep." But he had the feeling that was the last thing he needed.

* * *

><p>The greenhouse was decently cool durning the early afternoon, exotic plants filling up the space and sunlight filtered from the glass above dousing their sight with a dull glow.<p>

Harry stood beside Ron as Professor Sprout lectured them about the importance of the plant they were supposed to be dissecting. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see above his fellow classmates' heads and catch a glimpse of the thing, but in all honesty he wasn't trying very hard.

He watched with interest and lots of self-doubt, eyes never leaving the boy they had caught early during the class. Harry wasn't ready for when Sprout ordered them to get into pairs, off to take apart the new plant she had been yammering about. He sighed, going to turn and start the activity with Ron, having to resist jumping back when it was Neville who popped into his vision.

Harry yelped. "Neville!" The Gryffindor smiled at him with a full row of nicely brushed teeth, looking shy. He blinked. "I, uh, me and Ron were-"

A tap from his shoulder made him turn his head, shoulders stiffening when he saw who it was. "Are you free?" Asked an all-too American accent, and he found himself at loss at what to say.

Neville was quite the opposite. "This works out just fine, then!" He said, grabbing Ron by the arm and hurrying away before Harry could object. Harry caught a confused look from the ginger before he had disappeared in the mass of students, and he turned back with a setting sense of dread.

"I've got the plant," his partner said, and indeed he did, holding it in hands that were wrapped tightly with a thick pair of gloves. He nodded, not bothering to speak, simply leading them to a work table while his mind was left reeling.

What was he supposed to do, here?

The shorter boy set it down, and Harry allowed himself to fully look at the object they were supposed to be dissecting. It was an ordinary enough plant, appearing like a five-petal flower colored lighter than the cleanest white. Core, stem and all followed that same color, a shade that held nothing to offer, the murky brown soil and grey pot it bloomed in looking bright in contrast.

Harry thought it looked rather sad, because it was rather sad, really. He glanced up, only to see his partner staring at him, his partner who was a Slytherin the day before and decked out in Hufflepuff robes today. And Harry? Harry still didn't know what to think of that, what to say this bloke who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"I'm Percy," he offered, skin much too tan for the grey skies Harry had grown accustomed to all his life, but he supposed there was nothing to do with that.

"Yeah," he replied. "Nice to meet you." He didn't say anything else after that, to which Percy frowned.

"You know," the black-haired boy teased. "Usually, when someone tells you their name, you tell them yours. Just a hint," he shrugged, with a tint of expectancy in every word, and Harry furrowed his eyebrows in shock.

"You don't know who I am?" He asked. Percy snorted, pulling off his gloves.

"I'm not a psychic, wizard boy." He picked up their pair of small pliers, handing it to the taller, and Harry accepted the tool.

"Harry Potter," he said. "And in case you haven't noticed, you're a wizard, too."

"If you say so."

He sighed, looking down. The plant was just as it was a minute ago, bland and crisp and bathed in white. He hesitantly poked the thing with the tip of his pliers, wary of a sudden explosion or a burst of fire or even cats and dogs to start falling from the sky, but it hardly even moved.

"I don't think that's how you're supposed to do it," Percy advised, pointing to the other groups. Even Ron and Neville had gotten farther, their flower nearly devoid of petals.

"Yeah, thanks," he murmured. He went to reach out for the plant again but Percy beat him to it, touching the stem with his bare hand. Harry didn't really think that was a good idea, seeing as it was dangerous to touch most of the plants in here without protection, but he didn't feel like saying anything either.

Percy cautiously plucked a petal off the flower's core, devoid of pollen and life. He set it on the work table, both watching as nothing happened.

"See?" The shorter asked. "It's fine."

He hummed dismissively, plucking out another petal. Percy did the next, and they continued until only one remained. His fingers grabbed hold of the end, separating it from the stem's core, and they both yelped as it disappeared in a cloud of ashes.

"What was that?" Percy shrugged in response, tilting his head, eyes still on the plant. Harry looked down to see as the core turned a buttery yellow, green traveling down the stem until it reached the soil. More petals started to grow on the plant, this time a wide variety of vivid blues, shimmering in the greenhouse's light.

"Woah," Percy breathed. He grabbed onto the flower, pulling it up by its small, transparent roots. Professor Sprout was already striding towards them, snatching the plant out of his hold, but it wilted at her touch.

She gave it a curios look. "What did you do?" The witch demanded, a mixture of shock and pure excitement in her words.

"We were taking it apart and-" she held up a hand, silencing Harry with the simple gesture.

"I've never seen these beauties take on this effect," she told them. By now, the class of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs had stopped their work, looking at their teacher. "At least, not by a wizard's will." And as she gave Percy the flower back, all watching as it bloomed and burst into color once more, Harry had one more thing to consider.

There was definitely something off about Percy, and he was going to figure out what.

* * *

><p>"Who was that guy?" Ron asked him, both hurrying down the halls. There was plenty of time until the next class, sure, but neither felt like risking it. McGonagall was strict in her punishments.<p>

The corridors seemed to stretch on forever as they always did, the pair striding past doors that sometimes weren't doors and windows that sometimes weren't windows, painting after painting hung on the walls and each new suit of empty knight armor as polished as the last.

"I don't know yet," Harry answered. "And I don't really know how to find out, either." Percy hadn't shown up to any classes or meals lately, neither as a Slytherin nor a Hufflepuff. It was strange, but also kind of exhilarating- it had been a quiet year so far, and the Boy Who Lived could do with a new adventure.

Ron slowed down a bit, and Harry followed. "That flower thing, in Herbology," he said. "How did that happen?"

"You tell me," he replied. "We were plucking off the petals, and it just kind of bloomed when he touched it."

They picked up the pace again. "You know what I think, Harry?"

"What?"

"Sounds like another mystery for us." And he couldn't help smiling at that.

* * *

><p>"This is it," he whispered, eyes filled with excitement, and both of his companions nodded.<p>

The invisibility cloak was too small for the three but they made due, limbs pressed together and compressed under the enchanted piece of fabric. It was a strange thing, something that Harry still hadn't gotten used to, but he was thankful to have it.

They watched as the new kid walked quietly towards the door, marking the exit and entrance to Hogwarts. Percy was dressed in trim blue Ravenclaw robes which dragged across the floor, careful not to awake the sleeping painted people on the walls, and he went out to the world with a smooth twist of a doorknob and a few well-placed steps.

Harry let the curse fall softly against his lips, pulling off the cloak. "I have to go after him," he told his friends, hurrying forward. It had been weeks since he had seen the strange boy, finally catching sight of him at dinner, and it had been a risk he had no choice to take.

It was still an adventure, he still an adventurer, and this wasn't nearly over yet.

He stopped short at the doors, his friends falling behind. Hermione had the cloak in her hands, hugged against her chest, and he considered the situation for a moment.

"You guys go back," he told them, holding up a finger as Ron made to protest. "Really," he said. "We won't all be able to sneak up on Percy, not like this. I can see what's happening while you both stay safe."

"Safe?" Hermione questioned, voice curious but not pressing, even as their target got farther and farther away.

"You know what I mean!" Harry whispered. "I need to get going. Take the cloak and head back, okay?" He didn't give them much time to answer, ducking through the doors, but the corner of his eye caught sight of his friends as they disappeared before his vision was obscured.

The night was cold and unnerving quiet, and he immediately regretted not taking the invisibility cloak for himself. Stars stretched across the dark indigo sky like freckles, the moon's glow bright and its own shape full. It was a lovely night but ominous all the same, but at least he saw Percy's distant figure as it headed towards further away.

He didn't know how confident he was about outright disobeying the rules and leaving Hogwarts, but sometimes, you simply didn't have a choice. And so he followed several long paces behind, stealthy as could be, recognizing the route only when they reached their destination.

The lake was serene in the stretch before morning, waters calm and creaseless, smooth enough to be a mirror. Perhaps, he thought to himself, it wasn't a mirror at all, but a looking glass into another world that had yet to be seen. A looking glass into the heavens, for that was what reflected off its surface; the moon, and the stars, and the distant planets he couldn't see.

"I know you're there," the boy called out, and Harry froze. Surely, he wasn't talking to the wizard, was he? Percy looked small compared to the large lake that rested by his feet and the moon who's light illuminated his silhouette, head bowed and a grin no doubt endowed on his face.

Of course Percy was talking to him, and he sighed, stepping out from his place amongst the trees. He had his wand, anyway- it wasn't like he had come without precautions. Might as well get this started.

Percy didn't look at him but Harry didn't look away, coming to a stop at the water's edge. His features were hidden in the darkness of the night, muscles stiff under the Ravenclaw attire, and Harry narrowed his eyes.

"What are you?" He finally asked, and Percy let his gaze travel to the slightly taller male.

"That's a complicated question," he replied but didn't answer, and Harry hadn't truly expected anything other than that.

"I can't really say I care," he admitted with a snarky tint to his words, but they both knew it wouldn't make a difference. "Okay," he said. "What are you doing here?"

Percy rolled his eyes but Harry didn't see it, only saw as the shorter let his gaze fall away. "I'm... watching."

"Watching what?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked. "I'm watching you, wizard-boy."

"Me?" He blinked, and Percy nodded. "Why?"

"You're important," he answered. "More important than you may think. Yes, I know the stories about the great Harry Potter," he hurried on before the taller could speak. "I heard of them after meeting you," and that was strange all on its own, but he didn't comment. "And it makes sense, really."

Harry scowled. "How do you mean?"

"You're unique compared to people with magic, Harry. Special amongst special people. When you were younger," he said, hesitating slightly. "You lived while being directly shot at with a spell. You can't tell me that's not special."

"What, then?" He was frustrated at this point, but also, a little part of him was scared. "What do you think?"

Percy considered him. "You don't believe me."

"I don't know you!" He insisted, turning away. "I don't know why you're here, I don't know what you want, I don't even know if Percy is your real name. How am I supposed to believe anything you say?"

A splash sounded behind him and he looked back, mouth going slack shortly after. The water from the lake had rose from its bank, coiling up and encircling them both. It came around the two like a bubble, as if shielding them from the rest of the world, and there wasn't a wand in Percy's hand to explain it.

"How-?" He swiveled his head to look all around them, features contorted in wonder. "How are you doing this?" He fixed his gaze on Percy. "You're not a wizard, are you?"

"Nope," he replied, letting the water slowly fall back into its place. It seemed much more quiet without it, much more empty, the tendrils of the liquid loosing shape and form before they lay still once more in their bank. "And I don't think you are, either."

"What makes you say that?" He still didn't trust Percy, that was for sure, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to hear him out.

Percy looked down at his sneakers, peaking through his Ravenclaw robes. "I have my reasons," he finally answered. "I don't know if I'm right yet, but it would make sense."

"Again with that," Harry rolled his eyes. The annoyance had crept up into his tone and replaced the awe, and they both heard it quite clearly. "I need you to tell me."

"I will," he promised. "But I need you to keep this meeting a secret."

Harry fixed him a dubious look. "Why should I?"

He fidgeted nervously. "I've managed to slip in pretty well, and nobody has noticed," he said. "After all, it's easy not to get attention when you stay in the background, and in the few times I've made a mistake, it's been even easier to be... _missed_." There was something to that word but Harry couldn't figure it out, and he didn't think he would be able to anytime soon. "I can only keep hiding for so long, and not from everyone. Point here is, I would have to leave too early if you let someone know about this."

Harry considered it for a moment. "So, you're saying I'm just going to have to trust that you aren't here to destroy Hogwarts, when you haven't given me any real reason to?" He asked. "Is that it?"

Percy's shoulders sagged. "Harry-"

"Your secret's safe with me," he promised, self-doubt already floating through his mind, but the smile Percy gave him made up for it.

* * *

><p>"So, who is he?" Harry glanced at his friends, both of them giving him wide-eyes looks, expectation brimming to the top.<p>

"Uh-" he put down his fork, shrugging. "Just a bloke."

Ron scowled. "What aren't you-" he was stopped from whatever he had been about to say when Harry was bumped into, forcing him to slide over. The teenager glanced over, eyes widening when he saw who it was.

"Hey," Percy greeted, red and yellow scarf wrapped around his neck and Gryffindor robes dropping to the floor. It was a bit odd, dropping in during the middle of the meal, but everything about Percy was a bit odd.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "But you aren't- what?" Percy shrugged, grabbing a piece of steak off of one of the serving plates and putting it on his own platter. He took a bite, glancing every now and then, but several of the wizards at their table were watching the scene with matching confused expressions.

Harry nudged him. "You're attracting an awful lot of attention," he whispered, but he had a feeling that it didn't go unheard by their onlookers. Percy swallowed, rolling his eyes.

"What?" He asked innocently, looking over at all the other students. "I'm doing nothing wrong. Just having dinner."

Harry gave him a skeptical look, features numbing over into shock when everyone turned away from them in a daze and continued eating. He glanced over to the teachers, and sure enough, no one had batted an eye their way.

Facing back to Percy, he frowned. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" He winked, though, and Harry's frown only deepened.

"That thing, that made all of them-" he broke off, gesturing madly, but no one paid them any mind.

"It's a special kind of magic," Percy answered. "I guess you can say I've been practicing with a, uh, friend of mine. But it'll only do so much for so long." He considered something for a few seconds. "What I'd like to know is why the Mist didn't work on you."

"Mist?" Before he could get much more out, Percy stood.

"Never mind," he dismissed. "I need to be going anyway, wizard boy."

"It's Harry!" He called out, making to follow, but Percy had already ducked through the doors and disappeared again.

* * *

><p>Three weeks later, with seconds that stretched into minutes and hours and days, until it happened.<p>

He had been falling asleep in class, Mr Binns droning on and on, when the history professor had been interrupted from a knock at the door. Harry sat up, watching as his mysterious friend strode straight in with an easy-going smile and another set of Slytherin robes, and honestly, he wasn't that surprised by this point.

Ron stirred in his chair, Hermione already looking alarmed, and they both glanced his way. "It's him!" Ron muttered, hushed tones keeping his words from escaping to the other students, but Harry didn't turn away.

They hadn't spoken about the strange boy since he had done his thing with mist and left Hogwarts for a near month. And now, with the same bloke walking through the doors of his class like nothing had happened? He didn't even know where to start.

Percy approached the disgruntled ghost, speaking before the teacher could. "I've come on behalf of Dumbledore," he said. "He wants Harry Potter to go up to his, er, office."

His name sounded too strange coming from the black-haired boy's lips but Binns didn't bother with a proper response. He simply waved the Slytherin off, continuing on with his speech, and Harry took that as a cue to leave.

Hermione called him over as he walked past and he spared her a sheepish smile, not bothering to stop. He waited until the two made it out into the hallway, door closing behind quietly, before speaking.

"What are you doing here?" Obviously, Dumbledore hadn't called him. Percy merely grinned.

"Haven't we already been over this?" Harry started to speak, but he continued, interrupting. "C'mon, I need to see something."

Harry tilted his head. "Can't you go do that by yourself?" He gestured to the door. "I'm in the middle of something."

"Like what?" He crossed his arms, leaning against the closed door. "He's just a soul Hades hasn't picked up yet. Trust me, I'm much more interesting."

Harry silently agreed. "Hades?" He asked instead, and Percy's arms uncrossed, hands fiddling with his sleeves.

"Yeah, Hades, god of the Underworld, blah-blah-blah." His fingers tugged and pulled at the ends of his sleeve, almost erratically, and Harry glanced down at the movement. "Don't you know Greek history?"

"Mythology," he corrected, sounding a bit too much like Hermione.

"Not where I come from," Percy muttered. Harry furrowed his eyebrows.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Percy stuck out his tongue, choosing not to answer, fingers now tapping out a rhythm against his thigh. Harry sighed. "Fine, then. Where are we going?"

Percy straightened, grinning victoriously. "Right this way," he said, offering his arm, but Harry didn't budge.

"Tell me where first," he ordered.

"Come with me and you'll see," Percy countered, but he could tell the other boy wasn't moving. He dropped his arm, letting it fall to his side. "The greenhouse area place thing," he said. "Where, uh, the plant class is at. Herbology?"

Harry nodded, then shook his head. "That's not anywhere close to Dumbledore. We're going to get caught."

"Trust me, this is worth it," Percy promised, but there was only so far Harry would go for a random stranger without answers. Instead, pulled out a baseball cap from the inside of his robe. "I can probably shade you with the Mist, but this might make you feel safer."

He held out the garment, Harry taking it cautiously. "What is this?"

"It belonged to my girlfriend," Percy said. "When she died in this sort of war, it kind of fell into my hands. The power hasn't been taken away, either." He gestured at Harry. "Well, put it on, we can't stay out here forever."

Harry blinked, intrigued by what his new friend had said, but he gave Percy the benefit of the doubt and slipped the cap on. He yelped, stepping back, something immediately off the with world.

"I'm invisible!" He exclaimed, a bit too loud, but Percy only started laughing. It wasn't the first time he had been obscured from the naked eye but it was different to not be able to see himself, and Harry held his hands to his face in amazement.

The shorter stopped laughing, instead settling for a smile that fit his face nicely. "Can we get going now?"

"Won't you get caught?" Percy rolled his eyes, choosing not to answer, and instead gestured at Harry to follow behind.

They walked through the corridors to the greenhouse, Harry slightly surprised at how easily the other teenager was able to navigate them through. It had taken him years to figure out Hogwarts, but Percy went from hall to hall without pause or hesitation. He couldn't have been here that long, surely. How many months could he have spent watching this school, and for what exactly?

They walked into the greenhouse without passing by a single soul, and Harry was lead to the area they had been working in what seemed like ages ago. Sure enough, the strange flowers were still there, a small group of tiny plotted plants set in rows and ready to be torn apart.

"And here we are," Percy said, voice a too-loud thing in the serenity of the garden, but Harry didn't mind. He instead pulled off the hat, looking at Percy dubiously.

"Ready to tell me why we're here?" He shrugged, walking over to the rows of flowers and picking up one.

"I wanted to test something out," the shorter answered as he carried it back over, placing it on a work table, and Harry met him there. "Wanted to see if my mentor was right in bringing me here."

"What are you even talking about?" He stared down at the plant, rapping his knuckles against the surface of the desk softly as he talked.

"I was sent here a while ago," Percy explained. "Sent here to find this strange disturbance all over the other side of the world. The camp I come from was still recovering from the Titan War-" he waved away Harry's questioning look," -and didn't have many people to spare, so I traveled alone. Like a quest, if you want to call it that, but a dangerous one."

"And?"

"And," he paused. "The disturbance, we thought it could've been anything. We hoped, maybe, it was more people like, well, like me. Demigods," he admitted. "But instead, I find a school that's been hidden from the gods, with wizards. All wizards, these strange people with mortal parents or parents just like them, but none of them gods."

"What do you even mean, gods?" Percy fidgeted.

"Children of the gods, the Greek gods. Zeus, Athena, the rest. Minor gods, too," he added in, as if especially cautious not to forget, but Harry was already lost. "I'm a demigod. I mean, you've seen my 'wand-less magic' or whatever you want to call it. I'm not a wizard, and I don't think you are, either."

"You don't actually expect me to believe this, right?" He chuckled nervously but Percy didn't join in. "I think you may have gone a bit mad. I'm not a, what, demigod?"

He sighed. "It's the truth. Trust me, I've lived with this my whole life. I mean, if wizards are real, why can't the gods be?"

"I can think of many different reasons," he answered, and Percy frowned.

"Listen, believe me or not, I came here for a reason. And that reason is you." He nodded at the plant. "Could you just touch that for me?"

"_What_?"

"Just poke it," he said. "Please?" His quiet tapping on the table became more like pounding, knuckles barraging the desk. "We don't have a lot of time."

"Why do you care about the plant?" The pounding lost it's rhythm and became a senseless beat, and he flinched.

"I have a special kind of blood in my veins. Comes with being half god, y'know. And I think this flower senses it." He glanced at the exit. "That's why it acted so weird in the class. And if it does the same with you-"

Harry snapped, leaning forward and grabbing Percy's wrists. The noise stopped and so did the shorter's voice, Percy staring up at him confusedly. His eyes weren't blue like Harry had first thought but a bright sea green, and the realization came with the smallest bit of embarrassment, the both of them too close.

He didn't move and neither did Percy, fingers still around the demigod's hands. "Just stop doing that," he scolded weakly. "It's weird."

Percy shrugged and Harry let go, shoulder brushing the other boy's chest as he turned to the flower. It stood there, as innocent as ever, and he reached out slowly. His finger brushed against one of its petals, and he couldn't help his surprise when it bloomed into a million different hues of deep reds, a thing of beauty. He drew his hand back, glancing at Percy, but the other merely waited with a gleam of excitement in his green eyes.

Harry reached out again, letting the red engulf each petal. When Percy grabbed onto the plant, blue spread across its length, and the colors melted into a deep violet. He smiled at the color, unique against all the other flowers without a spot of brightness, and Percy smiled with him.

"Told you so," he whispered, and Harry had a feeling he wouldn't be staying at Hogwarts for much longer.

* * *

><p>There were shadows in the lake that he could barely see, black silhouettes on musty water that shook and shattered in the moon's faint light. Harry narrowed his eyes, staring down over the side of the boat, trying to see something deeper within its depths.<p>

He didn't notice he was falling until he was in, sinking and sinking, arms struggling to break the surface and yet not moving an inch. Just when he was about to take a breath full of water, to give up and let death have him in its grasp, two arms wrapped around his waist and tugged. It was a ray of hope in his nightmare, and Harry noticed his savior's sea-green eyes as the lake faded away and his head reached the surface at last.


End file.
